Cookie Subterfuge
by Ann Parker
Summary: JJ can tell Reid is shutting her out after returning home from visiting his mom and decides to use his greatest weakness against him to force him to open up and hopefully cheer him up in the process: Henry. Michael makes an appearance too. Set during season 11, mid December, assumes Reid is back from seeing his mom at this point. [One-Shot]


**A/N: I don't own Criminal Minds...blah, blah, you know the drill.**

 **This came to me while I was baking cookies this weekend, missing my niece/nephews, and trying to brainstorm my endgame for "Shared Genius." It wouldn't leave me alone so here you go. Takes place in current season, with the assumption that Reid is back from visiting his mom by December. Enjoy!**

* * *

JJ studied her best friend while his head was buried in a file. She frowned. He had come back from visiting his mom about two weeks ago and had dived right into work like nothing was wrong. She knew that was a lie, however, even without using her profiler training. Because she _knew_ him.

She hated that he hadn't come to her with this while she was on maternity leave. It was one of the reasons she missed Emily, or even Alex. Both women seemed to be able to get Reid to open up to them when JJ wasn't around for him to confide in…and sometimes even when she was. He had told Blake about Maeve first, but she suspected he just found talking about his love life with her a little awkward. Just about everything else though, he would often turn to her for. Although, he hadn't turned her as much since that whole Emily lie blew up in her face. There were so many things she wished she could change about all of that, but thankfully they were pretty much past it. He was just a _little_ more guarded with her than he as before.

That's how she could tell things weren't 'fine' as he had put it when she asked about his mom was when he got back. She had tried to get him to open up about it but he kept finding ways to avoid being alone with her. He knew _her_ well too and she found it incredibly frustrating. She knew the only way she could get him to talk was with a subterfuge. A part of her hated to do this, to use a weakness of his to her advantage, but it was time to pull out the big guns.

She glanced at her computer screen to check the time. She closed her file and secured her station. "Night Spence. Have a good weekend," she stated, getting up and gathering her winter coat. The winter chill was kicking in with full force already for mid December.

Reid looked up from his file and sent her a small smile, which didn't reach his eyes. "Night JJ."

She nodded and smiled back. "Don't stay too late. There's no need to work long hours when we're not in the field, you know."

"I won't," he offered, looking back down at his file.

JJ sighed as she picked up her bag and headed out of the office. Yep, desperate times called for desperate measures.

* * *

A few hours later, Reid finally set his messenger bag on his couch before scrounging up something to eat. He sat down with his cold, leftover pizza and sighed. Whenever he didn't have work in front of him, his thoughts immediately went back to home. They had managed to stabilize his mom before he left, but Dr. Norman wasn't optimistic it would last for long. Diana was slipping further into her delusions and slipping further out of being his mom. Her confusion level was increasing as well. He knew it wouldn't be long before she would likely stop remembering who he was once and for all. He set down his plate and put his head in his hands. He desperately needed something to distract him for his thoughts.

His phone rang. _Thank god, a case._

He quickly answered it without checking the caller ID. "Reid."

" _Hi Uncle Spence!"_

Reid blinked, not expecting the cheerful voice of his seven-year-old godson. "Hi Henry. How are you?"

" _I'm good. I got an A on my spelling test today!"_

He couldn't stop the smile that crossed his face even if he had tried. "That's great, Henry! I'm proud of you. Anything else exciting going on in school?"

There was a slight pause. _"I'm mad at Mrs. Schmidt."_

Reid raised an eyebrow; Henry had loved his teacher the last time Reid talked with him. "Oh?"

A small sigh. _"Yeah. We have to do a book report and she won't let me use one of your encyclopedias – but it is a book, Uncle Spence, it's not fair!"_

Reid chuckled softly. _That's my boy_. It made him so happy that he had managed to capture Henry's fascination with those considering the boy loved to play games on Will's iPad most of the time. "Well, Henry, when you do a report, you are supposed to talk about a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. But you don't really have that in the encyclopedia, do you? You just have a bunch of small sections with information on a different topics."

Another sigh. _"I guess."_ Reid waited him out; he could tell the boy was thinking. What he was _not_ prepared for was the next question. _"Will you come make cookies with me tomorrow, Spence?"_ Reid blinked. What? Henry took the silence as a need to keep talking. _"I really want to make Christmas cookies, but mom said I can't do it alone and she can't do it with me by herself because dad has to work tomorrow so she has Michael and me. So will you, please?"_

"I, um…I'm not very good at baking, Henry. Did you ask Aunt Penelope? I'm sure she'd love to," Reid hesitantly replied.

" _I did and she can't come over tomorrow. Please? It will be lots of fun! Mom said baking is like a science experiment!"_

Reid narrowed his eyes. Damn JJ; she knew just how to sucker him in and was using Henry to do it. He sighed; he had a hard time saying no to Henry and JJ knew this. "Okay, Henry, we can make cookies tomorrow."

" _Yay! Thank you Uncle Spence!"_ Reid heard a muffled sound, as Henry must have turned away from the phone. _"Mom, he said yes!"_

Despite himself, Reid smiled at how excited he sounded. "Henry, I'll see you tomorrow okay? But can I talk to your mom real quick?"

" _Okay. See you tomorrow!"_

A half beat later and Reid heard JJ's voice. _"Hey, Spence. Thanks for doing this. I couldn't get his mind off of the idea, but it's just too much for me to supervise with Michael being more awake and demanding attention. And Garcia has rehearsals for her latest play so…I appreciate you doing this, really."_

He knew that was her attempt to justify using Henry to her advantage, but he let it slide. "No problem, JJ. Although I'm not sure how well these cookies will turn out exactly. Do I need to bring anything?"

JJ chuckled at his comment. _"I'm sure they will turn out just fine. Just measure things correctly and follow directions. Plus I'll be here to help, I just can't commit to completely monitoring the whole process. And, no, I've got everything already. I had planned on doing this last weekend, but…"_ They had a case. Huh, maybe she wasn't just trying to sucker him into this. She continued, _"Just bring your fully caffeinated self. Say around 10? I'll order something for lunch while things are baking."_

Reid wrinkled his brow. "Is it really going to take over two hours?"

JJ smiled, she knew he was on to her but had been prepared. _"Baking no, but he wants to make cookies to decorate, Spence. We have to let them cool first before putting on the frosting and sprinkles. Why? Do you have somewhere you need to be?"_

Busted. Reid sighed. "No, no, was just confused. 10 sounds great, JJ. I'll see you then."

" _Thanks Spence, see you then. Good night."_

"Night JJ."

* * *

At precisely 10 AM, Reid knocked on the LaMontagnes' door. He could hear scampering of small feet and then saw the curtain in the window by the door peer back. JJ and Will had trained Henry well. Reid smiled and waved as he heard the door unlock. A few seconds later, he had Henry in his arms, the cold air filling the house. "Uncle Spence!"

It warmed Reid's heart just how much Henry loved to see him. "Good morning Henry!" He moved them so they were actually in the house and he could shut the door.

The boy released him a second later, allowing him to discard his coat. "Morning Spence," JJ greeted, coming down the stairs with Michael in her arms.

Reid smiled at the sight of his friend holding his other godson, who was wide-awake. "Good morning, JJ, Michael." The almost 5 month old made a small squealing noise and reached out once he registered the person that spoke.

JJ chuckled, "Well, why don't you take him for a few minutes and Henry and I will get out all the ingredients you boys need? I already have the butter out softening on the counter."

Reid nodded and took Michael into his much more confident arms. His time with infant Henry made this exchange comfortable, unlike that first time holding the boy bouncing on his feet next to him. "Sounds like a plan." He turned his attention to the second LaMontagne boy to steal his heart. "Hi Michael, how are you little guy?" Another squeak greeted him and the boy reached out for his hair, smiling.

JJ smiled at the sight. God, she really hoped Spence found someone. He would make such an amazing father. Shaking herself of those thoughts, that was not a topic she was going to touch today, she turned to her eldest. "Come on Henry."

Reid walked into their living room and sat on the carpet with the boy. He set him up, making sure he had cushions to catch him if needed, and positioned Michael's legs to give him the maximum support in this position. He knew it was time to start to develop his posture. Michael studied Reid's face as he did this so the godfather made sure to make some funny faces, earning himself some adorable baby laughter in response. He found some toys, but Michael seemed more fascinated with Reid. "Did you miss me, Michael?" he asked. He hadn't been over since before he went to Vegas. The boy had changed so much in over a month. Grabbing a blanket nearby, he started to play Peek-a-boo, remembering Michael was also at the right stage to start to show him things that disappear will reappear.

He ducked his head behind the blanket and heard a grunt of displeasure. "Peek-a-boo!" He popped his head over the blanket and was greeted with a squeal. A few more times and it became laughter, causing Reid to laugh too. The next time he did he heard two more laughing. He turned and saw Henry and JJ now in the living room.

"You two having fun?" JJ teased with a large smile. The grin on Spence's face almost brought tears to her eyes because she could see it actually reached his own. She hadn't seen that recently and greatly missed it.

Michael squealed at seeing and hearing his mom. Henry smiled as well at the sight, but was growing inpatient. "Can we make cookies now?"

The adults chuckled and Reid stood up. "Sure, Henry." He looked at JJ, "Swap?"

She smiled. "Sounds good. Everything you need is on the counter along with the recipe and the mixer. The oven is preheating already. You're good to go. Holler if you need me, but it won't be too long before I need to feed him and put him down for his morning nap."

Reid nodded and then messed with Henry's hair as he walked by. "Okay, thanks JJ. Come on, my man. Let's see if we can have a successful experiment." He shot a look at JJ and she hid her smirk, knowing he knew she had prompted that statement last night.

"Yay!" Henry cheered, pulling Reid's focus to him. He was soon standing before everything and reading the directions. Making the dough seemed simple enough.

"Alright, Henry. I forget, what's the first thing we do before cooking or eating?"

"Wash our hands," Henry answered, heading over to the kitchen sink. He climbed on the small stool already there for him and started to do just that.

"That's right," Reid replied and washed and dried his as well. "Now, can you read me what the first step is?"

Henry picked up the card of his Grandma Sandy's famous sugar cookies and read out loud, "Cream together the butter and sugar." He looked up at Reid. "What does that mean?"

Reid was grateful he had reviewed some cooking terms last night after hanging up. "It means we need to mix them together until they make a thick, soft mixture. We want the sugar to be fully blended with the butter." Henry nodded. "How much sugar and butter do we need?"

Henry studied the recipe again. "One cup of butter and one and ¼ cup sugar."

Reid nodded. He grabbed the sugar container and the two measuring cups needed. "Want to measure the sugar, bud?" Henry nodded and Reid moved the stool from the sink area closer so Henry could scoop out the sugar and pour it into the stand mixer's bowl. "Okay, now we need the butter." He moved a few sticks over to him. "Henry, can you read what the butter stick says?" If he was going to do this, he was going to make it as educational as possible. He pointed out the part he had seen on the butter sticks countless times before.

"Eight t-b-l…what's that?" Henry looked up at him.

"Tbls is shorthand for tablespoon." He held up a tablespoon measure for Henry to see, who nodded. "The little lines here also show one tablespoon of butter.

"Okay. Eight tablespoons is equal to a ½ cup," Henry replied.

Reid nodded. "How many tablespoons are in the one stick of butter?"

Henry counted the lines. "Eight!"

"Right," Reid smiled. "So we have a ½ cup of butter in one stick. Now," he moved the half cup and full cup measuring cups in front of him and preceded to explain how 2 half cups was the same as the one cup. Fractions were a little ahead of where Henry was in school, but he was a smart boy so Reid had faith he could at least get the basic concepts. When Henry nodded that he understood, Reid decided to test him. "So if we need one cup of butter," he held up the one cup, "and 1 stick of butter is the same as a half cup," he put the half cup next to the stick, "do you know how many sticks we need?"

Henry studied the objects before him for a moment. Then he looked up at Reid. "Two?"

Reid beamed. "That's right! High five Henry!" They pair enthusiastically high fived. They went about adding the butter to the mixer and Reid turned it on. They both watched with curiosity as it mixed together. Once it started to look kind of fluffy, Reid assumed they were sufficiently 'creamed' and turned off the paddle. "Okay, Henry, what's next?"

The pair went on to add the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract and started to mix that together. JJ walked in with Michael, knowing now would be a good time to pop in. She had been secretly listening the whole time. "Don't forget to scrape the side of the bowl into the middle to make sure the stuff sticking to the sides gets mix in."

Reid looked up and nodded. "Good point, thanks."

JJ nodded as she walked into the kitchen, getting some rice cereal for Michael. She as still mostly breastfeeding while pumping, although they quickly learned that they were going to have to supplement with formula when she was gone on long cases. But, he was starting to need a little more so she was gradually adding in the solids like she did with Henry. Reid did as she advised and mixed it once more. "What's next?"

Getting into the routine now, Henry replied. "We slowly add the flour. It says 'stir just until combined.' We need 4 cups."

Reid nodded. He looked over at JJ, who was now at the kitchen table. "So add one cup at a time?"

JJ bit her lip, debating. A part of her really wanted him to put all of it in at once, knowing what the comical result would be. But, she knew that was a cruel prank and she also knew what he was capable of if he retaliated. "You could probably do two cups, just be sure to turn it to the slowest speed."

Reid nodded and smiled. He hadn't thought about that, which given his science knowledge surprised him. He must be more out of it than he thought. "Okay Henry, let's measure out two cups." The cute duo completed that task with minimal spillage on Henry's part. Following her directions, Reid turned it on the slowest setting. Soon the dough appeared mixed enough to add the rest of the flour.

JJ peered in the bowl a little bit later. "Looks good." Michael was squirming, still a little hungry. "I'm going to go up and nurse and then get him settled down for his nap. Try not to make a complete mess during the next step." She smiled up at Spence and winked.

He chuckled, remembering what step that was from when he read the recipe earlier. "We'll try. What is that step, Henry?"

Henry read it to himself first and then out loud. "Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and use your hands to form into a disk. Roll out the dough and cut out."

Reid knew he had left a little bit out and was glad he had read it. "Okay then. First, let's move some of our things out of the way." They cleared space for the dough and Reid then sprinkled some flour on the counter, remembering the one time Garcia made him help make cookies. Soon the two were finishing rolling out the dough, after some initial struggle with it sticking to the rolling pin until Reid thought to rub some flour on it too.

"Are we ready to make trees and stars, Uncle Spence?" Henry asked, getting antsy. This was more involved then the boy had thought.

"I think so, Henry. Now, we want to cut them as close together as possible so we have less leftover dough to reroll." Reid grabbed the cutters and showed Henry what he meant. He let Henry gently pick one up and set it on the pan he had moved closer to them. About fifteen minutes later they had three full pans of different shaped cookie dough. Reid put the first pan in the oven, setting the timer. He then turned back to Henry and chuckled. Okay, maybe not the biggest mess, but they still got flour on the floor and themselves.

JJ came down at just that moment. She laughed and shook her head, grabbing her phone. "Okay, my chefs, smile." Henry and Reid, the latter a little begrudgingly, posed for a few photos next to the messy counter. She turned her attention to Henry when she felt she had a few good shots. "Henry, why don't you shake that shirt out a bit and then go change, wash up, and read for a bit. Uncle Spence and I will order lunch and clean up. Just remember that Michael's asleep so be quiet, okay? We'll call you when lunch is here. Hopefully, by then, the cookies should be cool enough to get the frosting made and we can decorate after we eat."

"Okay!" Henry shook a bit, getting majority of the flour off his shirt before running off to change.

JJ smiled after him before turning back to her friend. She noticed his body language change some, already putting his guard up on her. She was going to have to ease into this. "You may want to shake out your shirt too, Spence. I should have thought to tell you to bring a spare set of clothes."

Reid smiled and shook his shirt. Thankfully, he wasn't nearly as covered as Henry. "That's okay. Sorry about this mess. I must have miscalculated how much flour was needed on the counter."

JJ went about putting away the ingredients first, leaving some butter and the vanilla out for later. She shrugged, "It's fine. It's part of the process and why I couldn't do this by myself with both boys." Reid nodded, moving the mixing bowl, cups and spatula to the sink. They were silent for a few minutes as they worked on cleaning up. Reid went to get her broom and dustpan, knowing where it was from needing it a few times after helping Henry with some science projects. JJ wiped down the counter, waiting until he was distracted with the dustpan.

"So did you ever get to do something like this with your mom growing up?"

Reid stilled his movements for a fraction of a second. "No, baking was never really her thing." He dumped the flour into the trash. JJ turned to the dishes as the oven timer went off. He went and checked the cookies, noticing the edges were just starting to turn golden as described in the directions. He pulled out that pan and put in a new one.

"Let me set out the cooling racks," JJ offered, setting up the racks on the now clean counter. She also set an oven mitt down so he could put the pan over there. The two took turns to gently remove the cookies so they could cool. "Yeah, that recipe is my mom's but I honestly only remember making it a few times. We probably did a few more times than I remember but we stopped after…"

Reid sighed, knowing why her voice trailed off again. "Well at least it's some thing you can do now with Henry and Michael when he gets older. It will be a good family tradition to have."

JJ smiled. "Yes it will be. Particularly if their favorite uncle is the one that helps every time." Reid smiled at that and she knew she was slowly breaking down those defenses again. "So, what do you want for lunch?" Reid shrugged and JJ rolled her eyes. "Chinese? Its one of the take out items that I can usually sneak in more vegetables on Henry with."

"As long as I can use a fork, sure," Reid replied.

JJ laughed. "Okay then." She headed into the living room and called in the order, already knowing but both of the boys were going to want. Reid finished up the dishes in the sink for her. When she came back, he had them in the drying rack and was moving the first pan to the sink, having already thrown away the parchment paper. "Thanks Spence. Food should be here in about 40 minutes."

Reid nodded. "Sounds good." That put him back on edge a bit, knowing he was now stuck with JJ for that time. Alone. Maybe he should go read with Henry.

She could sense he was starting to pull away again. Better now than never. "So, how did your visit with your mom _really_ go?"

Reid sighed and leaned into the counter, looking down. "I already told you, it was fine."

"You did. But I'm looking for the truth."

The oven timer cut off his snarky response that formed in his mind. He repeated his actions from earlier, setting that pan on the counter while putting in the last one into the oven. He avoided eye contact the whole time. He then went about transferring the cookies to the rack, all without saying a word.

JJ placed a gentle hand over his, the one holding the spatula. "Spence, please. I _know_ something is bothering you. I know that you've been carrying the burden of her care by yourself for decades, but that doesn't mean you have to anymore. All decisions will still be yours to make, but I can help you talk though things if you'll let me. You don't _have_ to carry this alone."

Reid felt his walls falling. The last time he'd let himself get this emotional with JJ was after Emily. Despite _that_ , she was one of the only ones he ever let himself break down in front of. She seemed to sense it and removed her hand so she could turn him to her. One look into his eyes and she sighed. "Oh Spence." She pulled him to her, into a tight hug. That was the last straw. He broke down, letting everything he had been keeping inside the last few months out. JJ held him closer; running one of her hands though his hair while the other rubbed small circles on his back.

She continued to hold him as he cried on her shoulder until the oven timer startled them apart. She sent him a sympathetic glance as she went to pull out the cookies, not wanting to burn them and upset Henry. Reid wiped his eyes, clearing his vision from the tears and quickly went back to clearing the other pan. They were silent again as the cleared the last pan together. The cookies finally dealt with, she gently tugged him to couch in the living room. Then she waited.

He let out a deep sigh, clasping his hands together and looking at the floor. "They stabilized her when I left."

JJ smiled softy. "That's good. So what's wrong?"

"Dr. Norman doesn't think he can keep her stable for long. The disease is starting to win. He's also concerned that she's starting develop dementia on top of everything. Between the two, it won't be long before she'll be gone…" He looked up, fresh tears threatening to fall. "She won't be my _mom_ any more. She'll stop recognizing me, possibly even forget that she ever had a son…"

 _Oh god._ JJ felt her own tears falling. "Spence, I'm so sorry." She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him again. She felt him wrap one of his around her back too as they fell back into the couch for a minute.

"Thanks," he softly replied.

After a minute she shifted so she could look up and meet his eyes. "Is there anything I can do?"

The doorbell rang, startling them just like the oven timer. JJ wiped her face quickly and jumped up the pay for the food. Reid met her in the hallway after she collected their lunch. "Why don't you wash up while I get this set on the table? I'll get Henry's dished up." He nodded and she squeezed his arm as she walked past him. He went into the downstairs half bath and splashed water his face, getting himself back into Uncle Spence mode. When he made his way to the kitchen table, Henry was already seated, digging into his Sweet and Sour Chicken.

"You like Chinese food too, Uncle Spence?" Henry asked, helping snap the man back into his godfather role.

"I do, Henry. Although I'm not a fan of chopsticks." JJ smiled from her seat, handing him a plate and fork as she opened the containers of food they were going to share. They often split dishes up when the team ate out together and it was a practice the pair had adopted even when it was just the two of them. He smiled at the containers noticing she had picked out his favorites, even though she wasn't as big of a fan as the Kung Po shrimp as he was. "Thanks JJ," he smiled back, scoping out some food.

"You're welcome, Spence." The group fell into comfortable chit chat, Henry talking about school and asking Reid if he would talk him to one of the museums over winter break again, making both adults smile. Just as they were starting to wrap up, they were interrupted by a cry on the baby monitor.

Reid jumped up before JJ could. "Let me."

"Okay," she smiled. "We'll clean up and get the frosting started, right Henry?" The boy nodded.

Reid headed down the hall and up the stairs, climbing up them two at a time. He made his way into the nursery and spotted the angry looking Michael in his crib. "What's wrong sleepy head?" he greeted, bending down to pick him up. The boy seemed to settle a little bit once he saw Reid but was still fussing. Reid took an educated guess and checked his diaper. "Are we wet, little man? Should we get you changed?" He set Michael on the changing table and went about getting him a fresh diaper. Garcia had made him do his fair share during their rounds of babysitting duty with Henry. At least this time he knew to keep Michael as covered as possible. Michael played with the teether ring that was up on the table as a distraction and babbled, settling down.

Reid began to talk to him as he finished getting him cleaned up and dressed again. "You know what your big brother and I are doing today? We're making cookies. That's something you're still a little too young to eat, but I'm sure one day you're going to love them just as much as Henry and I do. And your mom, but she won't admit to that. She likes everyone to think she eats really healthy all the time, but she doesn't know I see how many bags of Cheetos and Oreos she has when we're on the jet." He picked him up to bring him downstairs. "She thinks she's sneaky, but she's really not…"

When he rounded the corner into the kitchen he was met with giggles from Henry and a slightly annoyed glance from JJ. Then his eyes settled on the baby monitor still sitting on the counter. _Oops_. "I, um, guess you overheard that, huh?" he asked, sheepishly.

Henry nodded, grinning. "Yep! Is that why you don't let us have Oreos in the house unless we're having a party mom? You'll eat them all?"

Reid's eyes widened at the young boy's comment to his mother. "Henry!"

JJ tried to act stern as well but was failing. She chuckled and shook her head. "Henry, you know better than to act that way, young man." Henry opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him. "But for the record, yes. That and I know you get them at school when you swap things at lunch from time to time so you don't need any more."

Henry's jaw dropped and Reid laughed. "Busted, huh, Henry?" The boy groaned. He nodded to the mixer that was running, "Frosting finished?"

JJ looked into the bowl. "Yep." She turned off the mixer and got the bowl ready to take to the table. "You got him for a minute while I set up the decoration stations?" She was gesturing to the boy in his arms. Michael could be a little clingy when he first woke up and was snuggled quite nicely in Reid's arms.

"Sure," Reid replied. JJ went about giving Henry some directions and the pair setup different colored sprinkles and sheets of wax paper. While Reid was watching Henry set up, JJ snuck taking another photo, this time of Reid with Michael and smiled to herself. Soon the table was ready for them to begin. She pulled Michael's playpen next to the table.

"Why don't you set him in here and we can take turns with him if he gets needy. In the meantime, I'll frost and you two can decorate." Reid nodded, kissing Michael on the top of his head as he set the boy down and handed him one of his toys.

Henry quickly climbed back into his seat. This was his favorite part about cookies. "I love sprinkles!"

The adults chuckled. "I know you do, but please try to get them on the cookies and not just eat them, young man," JJ gently reminded. She handed Henry a frosted tree to decorate and a star to Reid. "You too Spence," she winked, causing Henry to laugh. Reid just smiled and shook his head.

"You know most of my sugar intake goes into my coffee," he joked back. JJ laughed. The group went about decorating the cookies, the adults monitoring just how much Henry poured on some of the cookies. Some twenty minutes later, they were all done and Henry helped Reid clean up while JJ tended to Michael for a few minutes.

"Mom, can I please have one of the cookies now?" asked Henry.

JJ smiled. "Why don't we all have a cookie and some milk? I think you two have earned that after all your hard work."

"Yay!" Henry went about picking a cookie for each of them, setting them on a napkin at their seats. Reid smiled and pulled out glasses while JJ got up and handed him the milk. She took her glass while he carried Henry's and his back to the table. Henry immediately dunked his, turning his milk a pale green as the sprinkles mixed with the milk.

Reid was actually a little nervous but was pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted. JJ noticed his facial expressions and laughed. "Spence, if you had done something seriously wrong to the cookies we would have noticed it when we pulled them out of the oven. For the record, I think you two did great. These are delicious. Although apparently, I shouldn't let them stay around me too long since I have such as sweet tooth." She raised an eyebrow at Spence who blushed, still embarrassed that he was overheard. The group finished their snack and then packed up the cookies, JJ making a small plate for Reid to take with him despite his protests. "I've got to feed your sweet tooth too, you know. Besides, you can clearly handle it," she waved at his still stick figure.

"Uncle Spence, will you stay to watch a movie with me?"

JJ looked at Reid and shrugged, "You're welcome to stay, Spence. Will won't be home for a few more hours and I'm always happy to have the help and company." They hadn't finished talking, but she wasn't sure what else to really say. She didn't know _if_ there was anything she could say to make him feel any better.

Reid nodded and looked at Henry. He'd actually hate to leave right now. The boys were distracting him from his thoughts and his crying with JJ had actually alleviated some of the stress he had been bottling up. "Sure, Henry, what do you want to watch?" The pair headed to the living room.

JJ smiled at the sight and finished putting the cookies up before scooping up Michael and moving his playpen back to the living room. She found Henry lying on his stomach on the floor, scrolling through the kid movies section on Netflix. Reid was sitting on the couch. He jumped to help her move the pen but Michael reached out for him first. JJ chuckled, handing him the boy. "You know, they say kids sometimes prefer one parent over the other, you know the 'mama's boy' or 'daddy's girl' sayings." Reid looked away from Michael now that he was secure in his grip and shot her a questioning look. "I think my boys are Uncle Spence's boys." He smiled and chuckled.

"Yeah, who would have thought? Must be something in their genetic makeup," he joked.

JJ laughed as she finished setting the playpen back in its usual spot. The adults went back to sitting on the couch, Michael in Reid's lap. Henry finally found _How to Train Your Dragon 2_ and started it up. As they settled in for the afternoon, Reid shot a glance at JJ. Why had he been avoiding talking to her about this in the first place? He knew it was going to be a long process, at some point he would be grieving the loss of his mother before she physically passed away, but shutting out the woman next to him, his best friend, really was an idiotic way of trying to cope.

"You're doing it, by the way," he whispered to her, not wanting Henry to over hear them.

She turned to him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Before you asked if there was anything you could do. You're doing it. Being here with you and these guys," he looked at Michael, shooting the baby a silly face to get the intended giggles, "helps like you wouldn't believe. So even if you have to trick me into doing something…" She giggled, knowing he saw through her plan but was grateful he came anyway, "just keep doing it, please."

She beamed and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "You can count on it, Spence." As they leaned back, alternating their attention to the baby and to the TV screen, both had the same thought.

 _Thank god for a little cookie subterfuge._


End file.
